An off-court tragedy has inspired one high school basketball team to keep going.

An off-court tragedy has inspired one high school basketball team to keep going.

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Updated: 7:13 PM MST Mar 6, 2015

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WEBVTT YOU ARE WATCHING KOAT ACTION 7 NEWS LIVE AT 5:00. THE HIGH SCHOOL STATE POSSIBLE TOURNAMENT BEGINS TONIGHT. ORLANDO SANCHEZ TELLS US HOW A TRAGEDY OFF THE COURT HAS INSPIRED ONE TEAM TO KEEP GOING. ELIDA HIGH SCHOOL IS A BASKETBALL POWERHOUSE IN SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO. WE'VE KIND OF BUILT A REPUTATION OF WINNING. THE COMMUNITY'S EXPECTATION IS TO WIN AND TO WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS. IN THE STATE'S SMALLEST CLASSIFICATION, IN A TOWN WITH A POPULATION OF LESS THAN 300 PEOPLE, THE GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM IS GOING FOR ITS FIFTH STRAIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP. BUT THE TIGERS HAD SOMETHING TO PROVE THIS SEASON, WITH A NEW COACHING STAFF, LEGENDARY COACH J.D. ISLER AND HIS SON JADEN. SOMETHING HERE ABOUT ELIDA, HE COULD SENSE SOMETHING WAS SPECIAL. AND THEY PICKED UP RIGHT WHERE THEY LEFT OFF, A CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER, BUT IN JANUARY, A LOSS OFF THE COURT CHANGED EVERYTHING. I COULD NOT STOP CRYING. I WAS LIKE, HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? I COULDN'T BREATHE. I DIDN'T WANT TO BELIEVE IT. YOUR WORLD IS CRUSHED ALL IN ONE MOMENT. MY DAD WAS KILLED IN A CAR ACCIDENT IN BETWEEN GRADY AND CLOVIS. A TRAGEDY THAT GOES BEYOND BASKETBALL. HE WASN'T JUST A COACH TO US. HE WAS A FRIEND AND LIKE ANOTHER DAD. I WISH I HAD MORE TIME WITH HIM BECAUSE HE HAD A REALLY GOOD IMPACT ON MY LIFE, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. AFTER MISSING THREE GAMES, THE TEAM MADE THE DECISION TO CONTINUE ITS SEASON. WE'RE PLAYING FOR HIM. AND JADEN STEPPED UP, FOLLOWING IN HIS FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS AS HEAD COACH. THE CHARACTER THAT THOSE GIRLS HAVE TO STAY STRONG THROUGH A SITUATION LIKE THAT, THROUGH A LOVED ONE BEING TAKEN FROM YOU, IT'S INCREDIBLE FOR ME TO SEE, AND IT MADE ME A LOT STRONGER. WHILE ELIDA HAS PLAYED IN THE STATE'S BIGGEST GAMES, UNDER THE LIGHTS OF THE PIT, THIS YEAR'S TRIP WILL BE DIFFERENT. WE ALL EACH HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF COACH ISLER WITH US ON THAT COURT. TO GET THIS ONE WOULD MEAN MORE THAN JUST A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR ELIDA, MORE THAN JUST A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THIS COMMUNITY, BUT IT WOULD BE AN UNBELIEVABLE WAY TO HONOR HIM, AND HIS LIFE, AND THE WORK THAT HE PUT IN HERE. AND LESS THAN ONE YEAR, HE WROTE ELIDA'S FIRST SCHOOL SONG.

Tragedy drives high school hoops squad

An off-court tragedy has inspired one high school basketball team to keep going.